Bangkok Dangerous

Here we go again. make a good Asian film and soon Hollywood will come around and ruin it for you. Those who have followed my criticisms of remakes know how I feel. For others, The Departed was a shallow remake of Infernal Affairs.

Now, I see that Nickolas Cage is in a remake of this film. Despite the fact that the Pang brothers are directing and writing, it cannot hope to capture what was here.

This is not just an action flick. It is so much more. It is the story of a child with hearing and speech impairment that was cruelly taunted by other children. He grew up into a meaningless life and meaningless jobs until someone noticed he has an ability that could be honed to perfection. Sure, he became a hit-man, but someone cared enough to teach and guide him to his potential.

Now, with just two friends, Kong (Pawalit Mongkolpisit) was happy. He lived with his teacher (Pisek Intrakanchit), and got assignments from Aom (Patharawarin Timkul). Life was good, but about to get better.

He meets Fon (Premsinee Ratanasopha) and love enters his life. He is supremely happy. Unfortunately, she learns the truth about his occupation, and he has to do some real soul searching.

The streets of Bangkok are a perfect backdrop used to maximum effect by the Pang brothers, and the cast is a group that you can really get close to. This is a story that can never be duplicated by someone from Hollywood, and I am disappointed that they would even try.

A good film with a great visual style. Although I kept finding it hard to overcome the problems a deaf\mute assassin would encounter, it was something that was easily overlooked. Revenge, death and love, what more could a story ask for, and this one delivers it well. As with a lot of good Japanese movies, there is a heavy emphasis on visual style to convey a feeling, action or even thoughts of the characters onscreen, and this is done well here. Added to that is the use of audio to either cover the sound in a scene, or totally ignore it, showing the problems of the assassins' deafness, and yet at no point is this made obvious to the viewer, it's something you just notice. There's no Hollywood here either, and it's well appreciated. Watch this film, it's a good one.

I picked up this DVD because I've been to Bangkok couple of times, and wanted to see how the filmmakers Oxide and Danny Pang manage to capture the more sleazy side of the city, and combine it with gangster noir to come up with Bangkok Dangerous. I've heard about the movie, and was surprised that our National Library actually had this DVD in its collection.

Bangkok Dangerous tells the story of a deaf mute assassin Kong (Pawalit Mongkolpisit). His is a life of mission after mission, a cold and professional, though small time, killer. Growing up being bullied because of his disability, he finds work at a gun range as a cleaner, until he chances upon Joe (Pisek Intrakanchit) and his girlfriend Aom (Patharawarin Timkul). Kong learns his skills from Joe (in an excellent montage), and together, form a tag-team partnership.

During the course of work, Kong chances upon the beautiful Fon (Premsinee Ratanasopha) who works at a drugstore, and in between missions, he romances Fon, who doesn't shun him in spite of being a deaf mute. The killer has finally known what it is to develop feelings and to love.

However, if you live by the gun, chances are there will be those who are after you. Things change for the worse when Aom offends one of the gang's ranked member, and gets raped. Joe goes for revenge, but ultimately gets literally betrayed by the hand that feeds. Kong has to decide - to finish what had started and avenge his friends, or to try and begin life anew with the woman he loves, even after she has started to avoid him, knowing what he does for a living.

In a cosmopolitan city like Bangkok, this film manages to capture a kaleidoscope of colours, mood, and use various camera angles to its advantage. It contrasts the shady underworld and strip bars, and its pulsating music, with the silent, kind world of love that Kong for the first time experiences when he's with Fon.

It's a story of finding one's own morality when living in the midst of violence and sleaze, and the seeking of redemption from a life of sin.

Code 3 DVD extras: Filmography of filmmakers and inspiration for the film.

This movie is like "Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai", in that they are both films where the anti-heroes are vicious professional killers, molded by the circumstances of their youth, both awakened to the possibility of love. But I liked Bangkok Dangerous much more, in that the grit seemed less contrived.

The reference to Charlie Chaplin is significant. In Thailand, Chaplin is revered even more than the French worship Jerry Lewis. To the Thai people, "The Little Tramp's" struggle against the domineering authority figures of his world is something that the average Thai relates to deeply. In Bangkok Dangerous, Kong, the killer, is a little guy buffetted by forces he doesn't fully understand -- but ultimately ones he fights back against.

Don't be too critical when watching this. Just settle back and enjoy it; and you will indeed.

Bangkok Dangerous is the story of a lonely mute who becomes a hit-man, partly to avenge himself upon the world that has alienated him. Only when he finds happiness does he realize the full horror of his life.

The film boasts some great performances, particularly by Pawalit Mongkolpisit as Kong, the main protagonist. His face is beautiful yet impassive, and his large eyes convey all the strangled emotions of a person unable to communicate with those around him.

There are many excellent moments to savour in this film, but the contrived way in which Kong's partner is forced out of retirement is ridiculous. However, despite the generic plot - which at times has a square-peg-round-hole forced feel to it - and the thoroughly predictable narrative progression, the film is actually pretty rewarding. It has a tender humanism at the centre, which gives the film real depth, and there are many moments worth savouring.

Score 7/10 (6 is too low, but 7's maybe a little too high)